[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 71 (Thursday, June 4, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5657-S5658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             PATRICIA RUSSO

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, later this month the State of 
Connecticut will say good-bye to one of its strongest and most 
respected voices on women's issues: Patricia Russo. Known by her 
friends as Pat, Ms. Russo has worked for the past 18 years to promote 
civil rights for women, assure equality in education for girls, and 
help women achieve economic parity in the workplace. This July, Pat 
will be moving with her family to Tokyo, and she will be dearly missed.
  Pat Russo has served on the Permanent Commission on the Status of 
Women (PCSW) for the past 15 years. She currently serves as the 
Chairperson of this agency, which provides research and analysis to 
legislators and state leaders on issues such as sex discrimination, 
child care, sexual harassment, child support enforcement and the 
economic status of women.
  On behalf of the PCSW, Ms. Russo is the founder of the Connecticut 
Women's Agenda, a state-wide coalition of key women's organizations in 
Connecticut. She also chairs the PCSW's Congressional District Advisory 
Council (CDAC) in the fourth congressional district.

[[Page S5658]]

  Ms. Russo's work on behalf of ending violence against women earned 
her a seat on the 1997 Task Force to Study Domestic Violence, along 
with the Attorney General and other state leaders.
  In addition to her work at the PCSW, Ms. Russo also serves on the 
Advisory Board of Woman magazine and the Advisory Council of the Rape 
and Sexual Abuse Crisis Center. She was recently appointed to the Board 
of Directors of the National Association of Commissions for Women 
(NACW). She is also President of the Women's Business Development 
Center of Connecticut, a new agency that moves women from welfare to 
work.
  Pat Russo's leadership has earned her numerous awards, including the 
prestigious Hannah G. Solomon award, given by the National Council of 
Jewish Women, and the distinction of ``Woman of the Year'' by the 
Business and Professional Women of Connecticut.
  In 1997, Ms. Russo was named to the Racial Justice Committee of the 
YWCA of Greenwich, and is an honorary member of the American 
Association of University Women, in celebration of her 20 years of 
activism on behalf of Connecticut women.
  I have known Pat personally for many years and worked with her on 
many important issues. I have always found her to be extremely capable 
and completely dedicated to improving the quality of justice for women 
in this country. She is truly a remarkable individual, and I am sad to 
see her go. I wish her only the best as she leaves for Japan and in all 
of her future endeavors.

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